Trader Joe's Coming To Harlem As Part Of Major Development

HARLEM, NY — The popular supermarket Trader Joe's will open a store in Central Harlem as part of a new development helmed by the National Urban League, developers announced Wednesday.

Trader Joe's will open a 28,000-square-foot store at 21 West 125th St., the site of the future Urban League Empowerment Center — a 17-story building that will serve as a new headquarters for the racial justice-oriented nonprofit.

Construction will start later this year once demolition is complete on the one-story building that currently occupies the site, according to the New York Post, which first reported the news. The new building is expected to be completed by 2023.

The Harlem store will be the 13th Trader Joe's location in New York City. Another market is set to open this year under the Queensboro Bridge on the Upper East Side.

Trader Joe's joins Target as one of two commercial tenants in the Urban League center, furthering the development boom along the 125th Street corridor. It is also likely to fuel fears about Harlem's ongoing gentrification, following the arrival of other upscale retailers like Whole Foods.

"We are excited to open our doors in this groundbreaking location, and we look forward to serving Harlem, a community rich in culture and diversity, as their neighborhood grocery store," Trader Joe's spokesperson Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement.

The chain enjoys a cult following for its low prices and quirky products. Its arrival in Harlem has been hotly anticipated — an informal poll by the Curious Uptowner last year found that 91 percent of respondents wanted a Trader Joe's in Upper Manhattan.

The Urban League center will also include the state's first civil rights museum, 170 units of supportive and affordable housing for people making between 30 and 80 percent of area median income, about 90,000 square feet of retail space and 70,000 square feet of office space.

Local nonprofits including the United Negro College Fund, 100 Black Men, Inc. and Jazzmobile will also have office space reserved for them, developers said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill in 2019 to transfer the plot of land over to the state's development agency, paving the way for construction to begin. Details about the project were first announced in August.

The building is designed by Beyer Blinder Belle, with developers including the Prusik Group, BRP Companies, L+M Development Partners and Taconic Partners.

“We are beyond thrilled to bring the National Urban League back to Harlem, open the first civil rights museum in the state, and now, one of most beloved grocery stores in the country alongside it," Prusik Group principal S. Andrew Katz said in a statement.

"We're looking forward to welcoming the community to what will be a cultural and commercial hub for Harlem in 2023."